STATE OF THE UNION 2002
January 29, 2002

In the second part of the State of the Union address, Mr. Bush makes the case for his economic stimulus plan and promise to expand military and homeland defense spending. Part I: The War on Terrorism and Foreign Policy Part III: Volunteerism and American Values

 

Online NewsHour Special Reports: 2002 State of the Union The U.S. War on Terrorism Rebuilding Afghanistan Dec. 24, 2001: Historians reflect on the powers of the war-time president April 30, 2001: Assessing President Bush's first 100 days Jan. 20, 2001: Historians on President Bush's inauguration Past States of the Union 2001 2000 1999 1998 Browse the NewsHour's coverage of the White House   News for Students: A lesson plan on the history and importance of the State of the Union     White House U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives	PRESIDENT BUSH: Our first priority must always be the security of our nation , and that will be reflected in the budget I send to Congress. My budget supports three great goals for America: We will win this war, we will protect our homeland, and we will revive our economy.
	Funding America's military and homeland defense
	September 11th brought out the best in America, and the best in this Congress, and I join the American people in applauding your unity and resolve. Now Americans deserve to have this same spirit directed toward addressing problems here at home. I am a proud member of my party - yet as we act to win the war, protect our people, and create jobs in America, we must act first and foremost not as Republicans, not as Democrats, but as Americans. It costs a lot to fight this war. We have spent more than a billion dollars a month - over 30 million dollars a day - and we must be prepared for future operations. Afghanistan proved that expensive precision weapons defeat the enemy and spare innocent lives, and we need more of them. We need to replace aging aircraft and make our military more agile to put our troops anywhere in the world quickly and safely. Our men and women in uniform deserve the best weapons, the best equipment, and the best training -- and they also deserve another pay raise. My budget includes the largest increase in defense spending in two decades... because while the price of freedom and security is high, it is never too high - whatever it costs to defend our country, we will pay it. The next priority of my budget is to do everything possible to protect our citizens and strengthen our nation against the ongoing threat of another attack. Time and distance from the events of September 11th will not make us safer unless we act on its lessons. America is no longer protected by vast oceans. We are protected from attack only by vigorous action abroad, and increased vigilance at home. My budget nearly doubles funding for a sustained strategy of homeland security, focused on four key areas: bioterrorism, emergency response, airport and border security, and improved intelligence. We will develop vaccines to fight anthrax and other deadly diseases. We will increase funding to help states and communities train and equip our heroic police and firefighters. We will improve intelligence collection and sharing, expand patrols at our borders, strengthen the security of air travel, and use technology to track the arrivals and departures of visitors to the United States. Homeland security will make America, not only stronger, but in many ways better. Knowledge gained from bioterrorism research will improve public health -- stronger police and fire departments will mean safer neighborhoods -- stricter border enforcement will help combat illegal drugs. And as government works to better secure our homeland, America will continue to depend on the eyes and ears of alert citizens. A few days before Christmas, an airline flight attendant spotted a passenger lighting a match. The crew and passengers quickly subdued the man, who had been trained by al-Qaida, and was armed with explosives. The people on that airplane were alert, and as a result, likely saved nearly 200 lives -- and tonight we welcome and thank flight attendants Hermis Moutardier and Christina Jones.
	The economic plan: "jobs"
	Once we have funded our national security and our homeland security, the final great priority of my budget is economic security for the American people. To achieve these great national objectives -- to win the war, protect the homeland, and revitalize our economy our budget will run a deficit that will be small and short term so long as Congress restrains spending and acts in a fiscally responsible way. We have clear priorities and we must act at home with the same purpose and resolve we have shown overseas: We will prevail in the war, and we will defeat this recession. Americans who have lost their jobs need our help and I support extending unemployment benefits, and direct assistance for health care coverage. Yet American workers want more than unemployment checks -- they want a steady paycheck. When America works, America prospers, so my economic security plan can be summed up in one word: jobs. Good jobs begin with good schools -- and here we've made a fine start. Republicans and Democrats worked together to achieve historic education reform so no child in America will be left behind. I was proud to work with Members of both parties -- Chairman John Boehner and Congressman George Miller, Senator Judd Gregg -- and I was so proud of our work I even had nice things to say about my friend Ted Kennedy. The folks at the Crawford coffee shop couldn't quite believe it -- but our work on this bill shows what is possible if we set aside posturing and focus on results. There is more to do. We need to prepare our children to read and succeed in school with improved Head Start and early childhood development programs. We must upgrade our teacher colleges and teacher training and launch a major recruiting drive with a great goal for America: a quality teacher in every classroom. Good jobs also depend on reliable and affordable energy. This Congress must act to encourage conservation, promote technology, build infrastructure, and it must act to increase energy production at home so America is less dependent on foreign oil. Good jobs depend on expanded trade. Selling into new markets creates new jobs, so I ask Congress to finally approve Trade Promotion Authority. On these two key issues, trade and energy, the House of Representatives has acted to create jobs -- and I urge the Senate to pass this legislation. Good jobs depend on sound tax policy. Last year, some in this hall thought my tax relief plan was too small -- and some thought it was too big. But when those checks arrived in the mail, most Americans thought tax relief was just about right. Congress listened to the people and responded by reducing tax rates, doubling the child credit, and ending the death tax. For the sake of long-term growth and to help Americans plan for the future, let's make these tax cuts permanent.
	Welfare, healthcare and retirement security
	The way out of this recession, the way to create jobs, is to grow the economy by encouraging investment in factories and equipment, and by speeding up tax relief so people have more money to spend. For the sake of American workers, let's pass a stimulus package. Good jobs must be the aim of welfare reform. As we re-authorize these important reforms, we must always remember the goal is to reduce dependency on government and offer every American the dignity of a job. Americans know economic security can vanish in an instant without health security. I ask Congress to join me this year to enact a Patients' Bill of Rights -- to give uninsured workers credits to help buy health coverage -- to approve an historic increase in spending for veterans' health -- and to give seniors a sound and modern Medicare system that includes coverage for prescription drugs. A good job should lead to security in retirement. I ask Congress to enact new safeguards for 401(k) and pension plans, because employees who have worked hard and saved all their lives should not have to risk losing everything if their company fails. Through stricter accounting standards and tougher disclosure requirements, corporate America must be made more accountable to employees and shareholders and held to the highest standards of conduct. Retirement security also depends upon keeping the commitments of Social Security -- and we will. We must make Social Security financially stable and allow personal retirement accounts for younger workers who choose them. Members, you and I will work together in the months ahead on other issues: productive farm policy -- a cleaner environment -- broader home ownership, especially among minorities -- and ways to encourage the good work of charities and faith-based groups. I ask you to join me on these important domestic issues in the same spirit of cooperation we have applied to our war against terrorism.